U.S. President Donald Trump lavished praise on Japan's first female leader Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Tuesday, welcoming her pledge to accelerate a military buildup and signing deals on trade and rare earths.

President Donald Trump lavished praise on Japan's first female leader Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Tuesday, welcoming the new prime minister's pledge to accelerate a military buildup.

Ms Takaichi, an ultra-conservative who on Tuesday became Japan’s first female prime minister, had promised to model her government’s gender balance on countries such as Iceland and Finland, where women make up roughly half of all cabinet members.

Though her election is a milestone in a country that struggles with gender equality, critics say hard-line conservative Sanae Takaichi won’t necessarily help women advance.

Sanae Takaichi has become Japan's first female prime minister, a significant milestone in the country's male-dominated political landscape

Sanae Takaichi is poised to break Japan’s political glass ceiling. But some worry she will maintain policies that have held women back.

TOKYO -- At last, the "glass ceiling" has been broken and Japan has its first female prime minister. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s Sanae Takaichi, 64, assumed the post from Shigeru Ishiba after Oct. 21 Diet votes, following a coalition deal with Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party).

A 57-year-old man accused of murdering a 24-year-old woman in Fuchu, Tokyo, two years ago, has pleaded guilty at his trial at the Tachikawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court. According to the indictment,

Aboard the USS George Washington, Trump rallied an audience of US troops and hailed the US-Japan alliance, which he described as being "born out of the ashes" of the Second World War.Here are some of the highlights from his speech: